Half-Bakered could never win the big one, and the intangibles that prohibited him from reaching baseball’s promised land were on full display this year. Dusty never looked in control. Things moved too fast for him, and now that he’s been managing baseball teams for 25 years without a title, you could tell the pressure was eating away at him whenever the Nationals ran into trouble.

As the most cerebral of the major sports, a baseball manager plays a critical role in getting his players in the right head space, and most importantly, keeping them there.

Dusty’s had a great career, but the “don’t worry, guys, I got this” confidence wasn’t there, and a “cursed” team like the Nats needs that presence to reach a World Series.